“Shite,” Forge said, Scottish accent rolling. “They know about J. J.”
“Looks like it.”
Wick growled. “Stupid text message.”
“She sent a text?” Sloan asked.
“To Tania.”
“Motherfuck. Way too resourceful. Just like her sister,” Mac said, a growl in his undertone. As he dropped another f-bomb, the SUV’s engine snarled, the violent rumble coming through mind-speak as the ex-cop put his foot down. “Wick… put J. J. down and get ready to take the wheel. Forge and I need to get airborne.”
Frigging right. Excellent plan. Mac’s strategy hit all the markers. Outnumbered three to one didn’t equal great odds in a firefight, but—
Venom blinked. Wait a minute. Back up a step.
What had Mac just said? Something about… put J. J. down. Venom frowned so hard the space between his eyebrows stung. What the hell did that mean? Was Wick actually touching the female? Holding her in his lap or something? The thought seemed ridiculous. Way off base. His friend avoided physical contact like field mice did snakes. And given the fact J. J. had been sitting in a wheelchair when he saw her last?
No need to inquire further.
Wick always took the path of least resistance. His friend would’ve wheeled the female out, then handed her over the moment he made contact with the wonder twins. Venom would bet his fangs on it.
“Heads up, lads,” Forge said. “We’re making a right onto—”
Yellow flame exploded across the night sky.
“Shit!” Mac hit the brakes.
Tires squealed, shrieking inside Venom’s head as an enemy dragon uncloaked. Wings spread wide, the bastard hung above the cityscape and exhaled. Fire hissed between the rogue’s fangs. And Venom knew they were screwed. The male was a Flame Thrower, able to exhale a continuous stream of fire for minutes on end.
The steady inferno roared, rocketing over building tops, flashing off dark windows, polluting the air with the smell of sulfur.
More cursing came from inside the SUV.
Rage twisted through Venom. No way. Not on his watch. The rogue might be a tricky bastard—flying around the perimeter to come in the backdoor—but that meant nothing with him in the mix. He was faster, stronger, more deadly, and now…
In the prime position.
Speed supersonic, Venom torqued into a full-body twist. His wingtip grazed the surface of a top-floor window. Glass rattled. He set his sights on the rogue, lining his enemy up for the kill shot. Bull’s-eye, right on the male’s chest. The idiot should know better. An immobile dragon was a dead one. Good for him. Not so great for the Razorback trying to kill his best friend.
The frigging asshole.
Rising like a viper over rooftops, Venom exhaled hard. Luminous green fog shot from between his fangs. Like a pulsing wave, the venomous froth ate at the air, devouring the oxygen in a toxic curl. The rogue squawked. Too late. The glowing toxin engulfed the bastard, settling into his lungs, making him grab his throat.
The stream of flame ceased, turning off like a tap.
Talons deployed, Venom broadsided the male. He dug in, sinking his claws through scales to reach muscle and bone. The rogue screamed. Warm dragon blood flowed over his talons as the Razorback flailed. Showing no mercy, Venom bared his fangs and increased the pressure. Pain, oh the pain. Great fun to deliver to the male in his grasp. Well deserved too. The asshole had tried to scorch his brothers, so… yeah. He wanted to take his time, make it last, hear every last scream as the rogue begged for death.
Not that it would happen that way.
With multiple rogues converging on him from behind, he didn’t have time to screw around. Adjusting his grip, he pinwheeled, spinning the rogue full circle. An instant before Venom let go, he grabbed the bastard by the throat. A quick slash. A sharp upward thrust, and…
Eureka! One dead rogue. Nothing but an explosion of dragon ash.
The gray cinder flew, colliding with a building facade. The puff swirled like smoke, coating the glass as another Razorback attacked from behind. An instant before enemy claws touched him, Venom tucked his wings. With a grunt, he rotated into a somersault and scanned the street below. Blistered from the flames, tar bubbled up through the asphalt and—
Thank God. Cherry-red SUV dead ahead.
Ass end smoking from the almost charbroil, the Suburban roared toward the other end of the street, heading toward an intersection. Both the driver and passenger side windows opened. Mac and Forge slid out. Shitkickers planted on the running boards, the pair made like a couple of natural born surfers.
Relief grabbed Venom by the balls as Forge left his perch. As the Scot leapt skyward, he shifted, purple scales flashing, his growl loaded with nasty undertones.
On the move behind his buddy, Mac’s feet landed on the truck’s rooftop. Aquamarine eyes aglow, his gaze narrowed on a spot over Venom’s shoulder. “Ven… hard right.”
Muscle torqueing, Venom banked wide, and Mac unleashed. Water hissed through the air with violent intent. Forming mid-throw, a triple-headed javelin whistled toward him. Venom ducked. The rogue behind him squawked, then wing flapped, pulling up short, but—
Crack!
The water spear struck, piercing scales to reach the enemy’s heart.
The rogue gurgled, choking on his own blood. Another round of ash swirled in a wind-filled updraft.
Forge hoorahed, and claws leading the way engaged three rogues at once. “Top marks, lad. Keep that shite coming.”
“Will do,” Mac murmured, his eyes on the sky.
Venom grinned, showing fangs as he swiped at an enemy dragon on the flyby. Blood splashed up his forearm. Mac hurled another javelin and… thud! Match. Set. Game. Another Razorback down for the count. Goddamn. Top marks was right. Mac owned a first-class arm. One that would make the Seattle Mariners drool. But just this second? He was glad his buddy played for Team Nightfury, not in the human world. That water spear crap was wicked.
“Mac, move your ass,” Wick growled from behind the wheel. Hitting the brakes, he locked the tires. The SUV’s ass end swung around. Rubber pulsed against asphalt as the truck went into a controlled skid, snaking onto 23rd Avenue. The second his best friend cleared the corner, he gunned it. Big V8 screaming, huge trees from a municipal park casting shadows across pavement. “Get airborne, for fuck’s sake.”
“Wick…”
“What?”
Balanced on the SUV’s roof, Mac slid on steel as Wick changed lanes. “Get ready to pop the hood.”
“Say when.”
“Now!”
The cherry-red panel flipped up.
Shifting into dragon form, Mac leapt up and out, clearing the truck as he grabbed hold of the steel shield. Two Razorbacks attacked. Venom snarled and, flying in fast, grabbed the second rogue by the tail. Sharp spikes bit into his palm. He hauled him backward in midair. Idiot number one squawked. Venom ignored the outcry. With a quick twist, he snapped the enemy’s neck while Mac shit-canned the other, treating the rogue to a face full of steel. Another smash with the sharp edge of the hood and—
Dragon teeth flew through the air. The splatter hit Venom in the chest, spraying across his scales. “Ugh.”